So here's my post for the month :). We've been busy, as usual, but finally getting settled in to our house after almost 3 months! Its nice to finally feel at home. The girls have been busy & starting to get to enjoy our new pool. Its actually been a little cool and has rained way too much to use it as much as we eventually will, but we managed to get in for a few minutes between storms last week! I am so looking forward to having time together out there. It may be a pain to maintain it, but I love that when we are out there, there are no distractions. We can just have fun being together and not have to pay for anything, or go anywhere to do it! Not going anywhere is key at this point in our lives - Addie hates the car in spite of the portable DVD player we were loaned (it helps a little, but she still screams a lot!). Aside from hating the car, Addie is doing great! As you can see in the picture, she has moved on from baby food and now loves anything we put in front of her, especially if its something we are eating! This is her first encounter with lasagne, and clearly, she enjoyed herself. She has just started walking with a walker and standing more on her own. She also has become quite vocal about her opinions! We just thought we had at least one laid back child!

Right now we are enjoying some time just with Addie - my mom came in town last week to help watch the girls while I went on a trip with friends and took Emma home to San Antonio with her. I'm really missing that girl! The above picture is of her with her daddy on his new toy - a John Deere riding lawn mower! Really, with our new yard that is almost an acre, its a necessity. But I still think he kind of enjoys it. Emma definitely does! She just finished her last week of "school" which I think she will really miss. She loves all the social interaction and especially enjoys playing with the boys. She has learned all kinds of interesting things this year about monsters and bad guys! That girl seriously tries my patience and wears me out with her constant talking, question asking, correcting me and challenging my authority in general (isn't that supposed to happen when she's 13 instead of 3?). But, I guess having almost 4 days in Playa del Carmen with my good friends Heather & Summer gave me enough of a break to really miss her!

Yes, I spent an amazing few days in Mexico at an incredible all-inclusive resort with two of the best friends a girl can have. We did a lot of relaxing, a lot of eating and drinking, some reading and lots and lots of talking and laughing. It was so refreshing to every part of me. I came home ready to face my world again, and with enough patience stored up to last for a while (I hope!). I am so thankful for Corey being willing for me to go, and never once making me feel badly about being gone. He is so generous with me and I couldn't ask for more. It was nice to have time away to remember how blessed I am and how thankful I am for the life the Lord has given me. So, I put a picture of our feet from the beach - I was really tempted to put a photo of Summer in her 2-piece 5 months pregnant (she looked so cute! Better than I would look in a 2-piece now!), but I resisted knowing that someday she would find a way to get me back! Feet will do.

So there's the book for now. I need to learn to be more succinct, but my English major background always gets the best of me, and I can't help myself. Adios for now!